248 SIM cards bought with fake papers seized, two held

Guwahati: Two persons were arrested and 248 pre-activated mobile SIM cards purchased with fake identity papers seized from their possession by a joint security team in Assam’s Sonitpur district.
Based on an intelligence input, the Army and the police launched a joint operation and arrested Md Jahiruddin Hussain (24) and Md Imran Hussain (19), a defence spokesman said  Saturday, adding, 248 pre-activated SIM cards and various counterfeit documents were seized from them.
The two were suspected to have supplied over 500 pre-activated SIM cards to various categories of people, including anti-social elements in Dhekiajuli, Missamari, Kalakuchi, Tezpur, and Rangapara in Sonitpur district, the spokesman said.
The possibility of such SIM cards going to the hands of extremists groups cannot be ruled out, he said. Md Jahiruddin Hussain’s house in Tezpur was raided on Thursday leading to the recovery of 57 pre-activated SIM cards, fake papers, stamp pads, etc, the spokesman said. After interrogating him, Md Imran Hussain was arrested in Tezpur Friday and 96 pre-activated SIM cards were seized from him.
During search in their premises, the securitymen seized the rest of the SIM cards, two booklets containing 100 blank certificates each of President of Rangalu Gram Panchayat in Nagaon and two fake rubber stamps of the same panchayat president were seized, he said.
Two booklets containing 100 blank certificate each of President, Basbera Gram Panchayat, PS Missamari, some filled up certificates of the panchayat, 100 blank birth certificates, a computer CPU, two pen drives and two mobile handsets were also recovered.
The network of the two was spread across Nagaon, Darrang, Sonitpur, and Udalguri districts and some places in Uttar Pradesh, the spokesman said. (PTI)